Until The End
by FLECHER
Summary: If Samara had been in Anderson's place at the end when confronting the Illusive Man. Femshep/Samara. Warning you that your feelings may or may not be punched. Oneshot.


Have been having a bit of a fanfiction block, but this was prompted by a user on the Bioware Social Network called Lizardviking.

I have a tumblr btw now, so feel free to go to my profile, follow the link and bug me. I post regularly and have musings on fanfiction and my original writing.

**EDIT:** My apologies in advance for any errors found within, I wrote this at 8am. (nocturnal creature here)

* * *

**Until the End**

* * *

"Shepard!"

Blood was tickling the back of her throat, threatening her airways. She was trying to pull her mind back from the void, away from the weightless abyss that called for her. Forcing her eyes open she quickly had to squint them against the rain beginning to fall. Harbinger's metallic bulk took to the sky, his attention taken by the Normandy loosing several shots from the thanix cannon.

The Citadel, the Crucible; she had to get the arms open.

"Ashira!"

Again that voice, cutting through the noise around her, the ringing in her left ear. Her vision blurred but she managed to start sitting up only for a pair of hands to help her. Lifting her head brought her face to face with Samara. Part of her was relieved that the Asari had survived Harbinger's attack as well but...

The Justicar had been clipped by the beam, her teeth and lips were heavily stained with indigo blood and her right shoulder plate had been blown off. The right side of her armour was pitted and warped from the heat, with burns already apparent on the skin nearest. Ashira's eyes moved down and noted a shard of metal piercing the Asari's side. Makos getting blown apart left and right made for a lot of shrapnel.

Samara's hands tightened on her, "Ashira."

"I'm..." she blinked, trying to clear her head. "I can stand." She got to her feet, barely, and staggered away from Samara to pick up the only weapon she could see; a simple heavy pistol. "You need to-" Ashira coughed, blood spraying between her lips in a brief red mist. Gritting her teeth she spat out what remained in her mouth and stumbled forwards, her eyes fixated on the citadel beam. "Get back to Anderson. I'll have..." her vision blurred again she shook it off, "have those arms open in-"

Her right arm was grabbed and draped around Samara's shoulders before she knew what was going on. The weight on her legs lifted just enough to make walking easier and the arm around her waist provided further support. "You will not be alone," Samara spoke without looking at her, voice firm but soured by the pain in her side.

Ashira couldn't think of anything to say, so instead remained quiet and allowed Samara to help her walk. She was actually a little happy the Asari didn't listen to her; there were few she would trust to continue the walk into such hell with her.

. . .

The horror of watching the colonists be processed paled in comparison to what greeted them in the Citadel tunnels. Every surface was slick with gore and bodies were piled and packed upon each other, crammed into tight spaces either side of the narrow walkway. The air was thick with the scent of bile and blood, trying to choke both of them.

Finding a way out of the tunnels they slowly made their way through the ever shifting chasm. Moving down the ramp was less of a hassle than going back _up_ was, neither of their injured bodies appreciating the added stress. But finally they reached the control room, a single maintenance terminal situated on the other side of it.

Ashira pulled herself free of Samara, her foot a little unsure. "Get...get the arms," she leaned on her knees, "I'll watch our backs in case husks try to follow us up here." Samara nodded and hurried across to the terminal, quickly bringing up a display and controls.

The Human gave a relieved sigh; they were finally going to win this. Turning to keep her eyes on the path behind them, glowing blue eyes burned into her and a gun barrel pressed to her abdomen.

"I warned you, Commander."

Samara whirled at the gunshot, her biotics flaring only to gutter out of sight. She immediately clutched her head as a searing pain ran down her spine from her skull. She had no more energy left for such attacks and no other weapon.

Ashira was on her knees, fresh blood leaking from a new bullet hole in her stomach and getting all over the shocked hand trying to cover it. The Illusive Man stood her over and Ashira hissed out a string of curses, red painting her lips and running lines down her chin. "Control is the means to survival. Control of the Reapers, and of _you_," he spoke confidently, peering down at her with no empathy, no remorse.

Samara took a step forward only for her body to suddenly freeze on her. The Illusive Man smirked, odd energy flickering into sight around him as he calmly walked into the centre of the room. "You always did keep lesser company, Commander," he observed coolly, lifting his hand with the same strange energy fluctuating in his palm.

Ashira grunted, her body tensing and then standing, turning around to face Samara. The soldier looked surprised to be standing – whatever this was, neither of them had control of their bodies now.

Looking at the male again, Samara's eyes narrowed upon noting the burns and injuries upon his person. The missing skin revealed a mess of synthetic implants and Reaper technology. So he had given in to the Reapers? Then dared to mock Ashira for keeping 'lesser' company? "There..." speaking was difficult, like something was trying to wrap around her throat and close it, to keep her from talking until it _allowed_ her to do so. "There is no creature in this galaxy more abhorrent than a Reaper, yet you take their essence into your mind and body."

A frown creased the Illusive Man's brow and he waved at Ashira, forcing the soldier's arm to lift and aim her pistol at the Justicar. Ashira's face changed to one of anger and desperation. "Why are you _doing_ this? We need to stop them!"

He glared at her; the subtle signature growl of the Reapers reverberated through both women's minds, poisoning whatever it could reach. "Stop them? But I know what you mean by that Commander, you want to destroy them – as short sighted as ever. Can't you see that they'll uplift us a thousand times over? When we discovered the Mass Relays, when we learned there was more to the galaxy than we imagined, there were some who thought the relays should be destroyed. They were scared of what we'd find, _terrified _of what we might let in."

He paced around, a calm, cool smirk on his lips, "but look at what _Humanity_ has achieved, since that discovery we have advanced more than the past ten-thousand years combined. And the Reapers will do the same for us again, a thousand fold!"

Walking around to Ashira his voice became quieter, almost whispering into her ear, "but _only_ if we harness their ability to control."

The soldier was quiet and Samara switched her gaze to Ashira, a frown drawing her brows together, "Ash, our mission was _always_ to destroy the Reapers."

Ashira closed her eyes, "I know. We destroy them or they destroy us. I _know_."

The Illusive Man scoffed, looking between the two of them, "and waste this opportunity? Never."

Samara tried to move but found her body nonresponsive, still held by whatever demented force the Illusive Man had on his side. "You are meddling with something far beyond your ability to understand, like a child fumbling with a loaded gun."

He turned on her, glaring, "and you would know better how to 'help' the poor, short-lived Humans, _Asari_? When _your_ people kept technology that could have helped us when the Reapers razed our planet?"

Before she could spit his words back at him, pointing out how much he could have helped with his own knowledge, her words were strangled in her throat. She couldn't think clearly enough to formulate sentences.

He faced Ashira again to find the soldier glaring up at him. "If we can control the power, the technology, why shouldn't it be ours?"

Ashira sighed, the exhaustion she felt coming through for a second, "because we'd be like the Krogan. It's like handing nuclear weapons to cavemen – we're _not_ ready for that kind of power."

He only shook his head, "no, this is the way Humanity _must _evolve."

Ashira's pale eyes focused on him again, she was starting to feel light headed. "There is _always_ another way. I've fought my entire life to find another solution to problems and I will _always_ find the solution that works best for us."

"Then why betray your own species like this?"

"Us, the _galaxy_, everyone living right now. Unlike you I fight for _everyone_, because no species deserves to live over the other, we all deserve a chance to grow and evolve along the best paths. Humans aren't better or special, we're all people fighting to live, no matter what planet we were born on."

He frowned deeply and lifted his arm to point at Samara, "so hopelessly idealistic. If your precious Asari had shared their knowledge, perhaps we would have forewarning of the Reapers presence. You want to save everyone, but everyone isn't willing to do the same for their own selfish reasons." He left his arm drop and moved to stand in the middle of the room, but not directly between them, "I've dedicated my life to understanding the Reapers. I _know_ with certainty that the crucible will allow me to control them."

Samara finally found her voice, shrugging off whatever vile force impressed silence upon her, "and then what would you do with such power? That which should only be granted to a Goddess."

He glanced over to her then lifted his arm, the same strange energy fluctuating in his palm again, "_look_ at the power they wield, look at what they can do!"

Ashira felt her finger tighten on the trigger before she could yell. The recoil running up her arm didn't register, her eyes fixating on the dark purple fluid running down from a bullet wound in Samara's abdomen. Her jaw tightened in rage, her voice seething between her teeth, "I see what they did to _you_." Her eyes switched to the Illusive Man, burning with hatred.

His lips pulled into a sneer, "I took what I wanted from them, made it my own. This isn't about me or you; it's about things so much bigger than all of us!"

Samara took a shaking breath, eyes half shut, "he is wrong. Ash, you _know_ he is wrong. Do not listen to him."

Turning to the trapped Justicar he walked over to her as if to observe her, looking at the fresh wound in her belly. His eyes were cold and full of little else but disdain, "and who will you listen to Shepard? A mindless zealot fixed in her ways, who can't see the world beyond a dated, decrepit code? And what if she's wrong? What if controlling the Reapers _is_ the answer?"

Ashira ground her teeth, "don't make judgements about someone you don't know."

He turned to face her, "I could say the same to you, assuming my motivations at every turn."

The soldier's eyes narrowed, "at least I can trust Samara, unlike someone who implants themselves with Reaper tech."

Ashira hacked out some of the blood sneaking up her throat, her face contorting into a scowl, "if we destroy the Reapers this ends today, but if you can't control them."

Finally there was a crack, a flinch in the Illusive Man's body that gave away a conflict; doubt. "But I can!" he argued, his tone becoming desperate.

She narrowed her eyes, "are you willing to bet our existence on it? Because I wouldn't be that arrogant, I would never take a risk that high."

He struggled to find words for a second, more doubt poisoning the confidence that had once filled his cold eyes. "I...no! It _will_ work!" he shook his head angrily, clutching his temples.

Ashira's lips twisted in a cold smile, "you can't can you? They won't _let_ you."

He growled, hands clenching as they fell to his sides, "no! I'm in control! No one is telling me what to do!"

Samara's lips were wet with fresh blood, her eyes only half-focused as they turned on the conflicted male. "You cannot even hear yourself can you?"

He twisted at the waist, glaring at her.

Samara shook her head slowly, "you are indoctrinated."

He snarled, teeth baring in frustration, "no, no! The two of you so _self-righteous_! Do you think power like this comes easy? There are sacrifices!"

Ashira closed her eyes for but a moment, she was so tired of fighting, of struggling. She needed this to end. "You sacrifice too much."

He turned away, wringing his hands, "Shepard, I only wanted to help Humanity! The Crucible can let me control them, I know it can! I just need to, to..."

She opened her eyes, dazedly willing her vision to clear up, "it's not too late. Let us go, we'll do the rest."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the Illusive Man sputtered for words, "I...I can't do that, Commander."

Samara tried to move again, finding she could move somewhat, but certainly not enough to be of any help. His hold was weakening with the internal struggle. "They control you now; you are a puppet as so many others have been before you."

He was quiet a moment and then took the pistol holstered at his hip, a look of finality crossing his ruined features. "You...you'd undo everything I've accomplished. I _won't_ let that happen."

Ashira ground her teeth. This man, this pathetic, weak and selfish man who claimed to be Humanity's protector stood before her spouting excuses and lies. This worm of a creature was the one behind Akuze? Behind Nicole's death? This sorry excuse for a saviour was the one who caused all her grief, pain and nightmares? Before she could even think, the rage was speaking for her, knowing exactly how to send this wretched creature into a spiral of fury and despair. "You're weak and you're selfish. Because of you Humanity has suffered and will continue to suffer."

The effect was immediate; he turned away from her, "no! I..." he whirled back just as quickly, desperation in his voice, brandishing the gun, "I _saved_ Humanity!"

Ashira spat out her words, "no. You sacrificed them for your own selfish wants, your lust for control."

He flinched, eyes growing wide, pacing back and forth in agitation, "no, no!"

With all the hate and anger in her being, Ashira levelled her gaze at him, "you were supposed to _protect_ Humanity!" her voice lowered to a harsh growl, "and you _failed._"

It was like bringing a hammer down on a straining piece of metal. The Illusive Man trembled, clutching and shaking his head only to roar in frustration. "No! I am the saviour of humanity!" he bellowed, striding towards Ashira and shoving Samara out of the way, "I am the pinnacle of our species!"

Ashira squeezed the trigger a second time and her bullet found home in his heart, scarlet blossoming across the white of his suit. His body slumped to the ground and Ashira was silent for a moment, questioning if she had actually killed him. It seemed too simple; unreal.

Samara was struggling to her hands and knees, weakened from excessive injuries and blood loss. "Ash, the arms," she muttered, her voice almost a whisper yet still firm, sure.

Ashira stumbled forwards, her body finally her own again. She dropped her pistol upon reaching the controls and thankfully found the commands to open the arms quickly. With a relieving hum of machinery the arms began to open and Ashira saw the battle outside, it was unlike anything she had ever witnessed before.

The terminal shifted and sank into the floor, the display shutting off. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Samara propping herself up against a raised platform; compartments for maintenance tools? Ashira couldn't care less. A place to sit was rather welcome now.

Shuffling away from where the terminal had been she settled down next to the injured Justicar. It felt like a weight lifted from her shoulders when she relaxed, as if she hadn't simply sat down for a moment in years. Her body felt very heavy now, but Ashira tried not to focus on it, her tired eyes peering out at the battle raging before them. "Think we could've picked better seats?" she murmured.

The Asari next to her shook with a brief, quiet chuckle. "No, I do not believe there is a better view. Unless you wish to try adding, 'I can breathe in space,' to your list of impossible feats?" she turned her head, her lips tilted in a small smile.

Ashira laughed a bit, grimacing as her ribs ached in protest. "I could give it a shot," she hissed through the pain.

Samara's smile broadened, reaching down to take Ashira's hand in her own. "I think you have done enough for today."

Ashira nodded and rest her head on Samara's shoulder, having settled to her left. "Damn right," she muttered lowly, her eyes half shut.

"_Shepard, the crucible is working!"_

They both stiffened, eyes focusing on the battle once more. The Reapers were acting strangely, some of the smaller ones even seemed to stop functioning all together, but whatever was going on it certainly made them weaker. Ashira couldn't but smile as she saw Geth and Quarian ships both fire upon one of the larger Reapers and immediately rip through its shields and plating, destroying it.

She laughed again, grinning despite the pain and exhaustion, "we did it! We really did it. The Reapers...we beat them."

Samara only continued to smile, leaning her head against Ashira's. "Ash," she murmured, her voice very quiet now. "There are many things that I regret, but meeting you is not one of them."

Ashira frowned a little; Samara's words sounded a little too final. "Hey, we're getting out of here alive, alright? No need to go saying things like that."

A brief laugh tried to force itself out of Samara's throat, but all that escaped was a soft, shuddering breath. "Ash, look at us."

Ashira closed her eyes, her hand tightening around Samara's. But of course, she knew better – they were both injured in excess. The blood loss alone was enough to kill most people. But they had both survived terrible wounds before, hadn't they? This could be different, couldn't it? The blurring of her vision said otherwise.

The Asari managed to move her other arm, reaching up to gently stroke Ashira's hair, "we will find peace with Her, Ash." Her voice grew quieter, dropping to a gentle whisper, "peace our lives would never grant us."

Ashira's lips thinned and she turned her head, burying it in Samara's neck, "Samara, I..."

"I know and I do"

"Good..."

Several moments of silence passed before Samara's hand ceased to move, simply coming to rest on her shoulder. Ashira barely noticed, watching the fuzzy lights of red, blue and white dance across a black background in the distance. With her eyes slowly falling shut she could just find the energy to smile at Samara's words.

Yes, peace sounded very good after all this chaos...

* * *

Well there go my feelings.

In case you are wondering, the "Her" mentioned is referencing to Samara's line of "Find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."


End file.
